Dealing with death is never easy. In the pre-dawn hours of August 6, 2011, Extortion 17 and its 38 occupants lost their lives when a Taliban fighter shot down their CH-47D Chinook with a rocket-propelled grenade. Those killed included US Navy SEALs, Navy Special Operations support personnel, Air Force special tactics airmen, Afghan National Army commandos, a translator, and a combat assault dog. Extortion 17 was the worst single loss of U.S. military life in Afghanistan.
Bill answers 7 questions posed by Seven Days’ Ken Picard. He discusses this tremendous loss and the many ways it impacted family, friends, the Special Operations community, and the US Military at large. He also talks about tight-knit teams and communities and how SEALs and the service now provide better training and counseling for PTSD.
